Leather and method of making the same



Patented July 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUGUST 0. onrmumzun, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB 'ro CHARLES r. VOG-EL,

1 or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN 'tory finished surface to LEATHER AN D METHOD OF I MAKING THE SAME No Drawing.

The invention relates to leather and the method of making the same.

Waterproof leather is a very desirable product for various uses, for example, shoe soles and belting. Heretofore, while waterproof leather could be produced, the same was not a desirable, saleable commodity inasmuch as the waterproofing mixtures or compounds invariably discolored the product and interfered with the production of a satisfacone side of the product.

Chrome leather has been known to be a very desirable product for use as sole leather 6 but where such leather has been waterproofed, as by stufiing with grease, rubber or various compounds to prevent water from penetrating the leather, in every instance the resulting color on the outer surface, gener ally the grain surface, was undesirable. Efforts were made to improve the chrome leather by the application of a vegetable tan on the surface but the product was not water proof and waterproofing discolored it. Such leather could be made waterproof to some extent but if made thoroughly waterproof the compounds used for this purpose invariably discolored the leather.

The object of the present invention is to provide a process for treating leather, vegetable tanned, chrome tanned or chrome retanned with a vegetable tan, so as to render said leather waterproof and at the same time produce a finished colored surface on one side thereof, preferably the grain side, which will 'not be discolored by the waterproofing compounds. This result has been obtained according to the present invention by coating one side of the tanned leather with coloring matter mixed with a suitable vehicle to provide a substantially impervious coating. Thereafter the leather so treated is subjected to the usual process or method of waterproofing, such as by dipping the same in a hot, waterproofing solution which penetrates the pores of the leather from the uncoated side to the coated side but does not show through said coated or colored side, whereb a waterproof leather is obtained havin al the commercial advantages of ordinary leather. Any

Application filed September 19, 1928. Serial No. 307,0.

suitable waterproofing solution known to this art may be used, such for instance as that disclosed in Patent No. 166,748.

The ingredients are as usual well mixed by heating and the leather dipped into this hot mixture for a period to obtain proper penetration thereof and then removed. After dipping the coated side may be freed of the waterproofing compound in any suitable manner if such removal is necessary or desirable.

The coating above referred to consists of any suitable coloring matter, such as ground pigment or aniline dyes, mixed in a suitable vehicle, such as varnish, lacquer or pyroxyline, the lacquer generally being a compound containing pyroxyline. This coating is applied to the leather, generally to the grain side thereof, and when dry the leather is subjected to the usual waterproofing process which, as previously noted, is generally a dipping operation into a hot, waterproofing compound. The vehicles above named for carrying the coloring matter do not detract from the flexibility of the leather and are impervious to the waterproofing compound.

The result of the above described process is a new product since the finished leather is fully waterproof, the finished side of which is not discolored by the waterproofing process.

The pigments or coloring matter ma be of any desirable color to give a desired e ect.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The process of producing waterproof leather which consists in applying an impervious, colored coatin to one side of the leather and then dipping the leather so prepared into waterproofing compound in a heated condition.

2. The method of producing a finished waterproof leather which comprises fixing a color on one face thereof and subsequently impregnating the leather with a waterproofing compound incapable of modifying the color,

3. The method of producing a finished waterproof leather which consists in coating one side of the leather with a color carrying vehicle which'is impervious to a waterproofing material, dip ing the leather so prepared into a heaterfwaterproofin compound to impre ate the leather from t e uncoated side, sai waterproofing compound being in- 5 capable of penetratin the color carrying COiI-tiDg and being ine ective to modify the co or.

4. The process of producing finished waterproof leather which comprises coating one side of a tanned leather with a coloring matter mixed in a carrying vehicle to form an impervious coating of the desired color and then impregnating the leather so treated with a wate roofing compound that penetrates the leat er from the unfinished side.

5. As a new article of manufacture tanned waterproof leather as produced by the process of claim 2 having on one side an impervious color coating, said coating being unmodified by the waterproofing agent.

in testimony whereof, I aflix mysignature.

AUGUST 0. ORTHMANN. 

